“Preach the entirety of the Gospel, that Christ is not only the savior of mankind but also Lord of all who are redeemed by His precious blood, the Gospel doesn’t end at salvation, it goes beyond that, so let us not portray one side of this Gospel to the detriment of the other.”
The above was a clarion call issued by the International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo to all church leaders not to portray Christ as Saviour alone but to also lay equal emphasis on His lordship, saying “Jesus is both Lord and Christ!”
Apostle Gyesi-Addo made this passionate appeal on Friday, January 24, 2020, at the 7th edition of the Ministers and Wives’ conference when he presented a paper titled “The Christian and the Lordship Of Christ,” based on Acts 2:36, Romans 10:9-10 and Romans 14:8-9.
In his presentation, the IMD indicated that most believers regard Jesus as a baby sleeping in a manger, a humble servant who came down to earth to lay down His life for all mankind.
He, however, noted that “this mindset about Christ makes Christians view Christ as a passive leader and as such do not give Him the position of power and authority that He deserves in their lives.”
He added that Christ has not only redeemed man from sin and death but has also bought man with His precious blood.
“Jesus is not only savior and redeemer but also the Lord and Master of our lives, therefore, walking in obedience and total submission to His words and decrees is our duty as believers,” he reiterated.
Apostle Gyesi-Addo further expounded that every believer is an ambassador of Christ sent into the world to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. He indicated that every ambassador holds “letters of credence” which serves as proof of their validity and authenticity as messengers from a particular country. He, therefore, posited that “for us, as Christ ambassadors, our “letters of credence” is our acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives.”
“In the days of the Roman rule, proclaiming Christ was an act of treason punishable by death, so if now we can freely proclaim Christ as Lord let us do it with all boldness and joy,” he opined.
The IMD touched on three vital areas in which a believer can submit their lives to the Lordship of Christ; in obedience, in self-denial and in handing over control to Christ.
Touching on obedience, Apostle Gyesi-Addo posited that without utter and total obedience unto Christ a believer cannot say that Christ is the Lord of their life. “Total obedience, not a part but total obedience unto Christ is the first step to accepting the Lordship of Christ in our lives because delayed obedience is equal to disobedience,” he said.
Speaking on self-denial, the IMD explained that the Apostles and early believers left behind their professions and possessions immediately they received Christ as their Lord. According to him, this was an act of self-denial and the second step to accepting the complete Lordship of Christ.
Reading from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Apostle Gyesi-Addo said that the last step to accepting the Lordship of Christ is for believers to take their hands off ‘the control panel’ and leave it in the hands of Christ.
“Christ created us and has through His death and resurrection bought us; therefore, He has double ownership over our lives; so we have to live according to His decrees and become like Him in speech and in deeds,” he opined.
He concluded by saying that, “we do not have a private or public life, our inner life is Christ in us, and our outer life is His Glory.”
PENTECOST NEWS